‘Brilliant’ Leeds United star says he ‘doesn’t regret’ what happened during 2022 ‘learning curve’

Daniel James has reflected on his recent loan move away from Elland Road and believes it was a positive learning experience in his senior career. The Leeds United winger joined Fulham on a season-long deal in 2022 but opportunities did not exactly come in his favour.

James made just five Premier League starts for the Cottagers and was either left on the bench or out of the squad completely on nine occasions. He picked up an injury towards the end of his short-term stay and left with less minutes under his belt than he probably expected.

The versatile winger had been deemed surplus by former manager Jesse Marsch but since returning to Elland Road under the new lead of Daniel Farke, he has been enjoying regular time for Leeds yet again. James has played in all but two of the Whites’ Championship matches this season and has contributed a goal and four assists so far.

During James’ time at Manchester United, former teammate Marcus Rashford waxed lyrical about him, describing him as a ‘brilliant’ player.

Speaking to the PA News Agency while on international duty with Wales, James discussed his loan move to Fulham and how beneficial it was despite having limited time on the pitch.

“Fulham was a good learning curve for me and I don’t regret it at all. I didn’t play as much as I wanted to but, because it happened so late in the window on deadline day, it takes a while to settle and find somewhere to live.

“You’ve got children as well and the first two or three months were very hard. The World Cup was coming up and it’s always hard to settle in pretty quick.

“It’s great to be back. As soon as I got back in the summer I just wanted to play and show that I was there to stay and work hard. We had a little bit of a tricky start, but we’ve had a good run of games and we’ve just got to keep pushing.

“It’s always harder when you haven’t played many minutes, not just physically but mentally as well. You need to get into the rhythm of games and I’ve got that at Leeds now. I’m feeling fit and ready and, when that happens, everything comes naturally.”